Lead guitarist and vocalist Bardo Martinez, of Chicano Batman performs during the 20th Street Block Party music festival in San Francisco, California, on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.

Lead guitarist and vocalist Bardo Martinez, of Chicano Batman performs during the 20th Street Block Party music festival in San Francisco, California, on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, Special To The Chronicle

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Lead guitarist and vocalist Bardo Martinez, of Chicano Batman performs during the 20th Street Block Party music festival in San Francisco, California, on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.

Lead guitarist and vocalist Bardo Martinez, of Chicano Batman performs during the 20th Street Block Party music festival in San Francisco, California, on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, Special To The Chronicle

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Bardo Martinez is the lead guitarist and singer of L.A.’s Chicano Batman.

Bardo Martinez is the lead guitarist and singer of L.A.’s Chicano Batman.

Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, Special To The Chronicle

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Chicano Batman is here to save the day

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The time is right for Chicano Batman. On its latest album, “Freedom Is Free,” the eclectic Los Angeles outfit champions not only vintage R&B sounds but also America’s endangered spirit of openness.

Thanks to its lively rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” for Johnnie Walker’s progressive “Keep Walking America” campaign, the band is courting its biggest audience yet. Songs like “Angel Child” and “Jealousy” are sure to keep the crowds jumping, balancing simmering politics with a funky beat.